The Poker Game
by legalliz
Summary: Stephanie Plum gets injured on the job and is forced to stay off her feet. When boredom strikes, what better to do than whip out the ole deck of cards? She might discover her true poker abilities, or she might find herself with nothing but the shirt on her back. Literally. When clothing is at stake, will Stephanie risk it all? Stephanie POV. Babe story but Cupcake friendly.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: All of the characters, personalities, and backgrounds belong to the delightful Janet Evanovich._

The Poker Game

It had been one of those days. No, make that one of those weeks. My name is Stephanie Plum, and I work as a bond enforcement agent in the lovely state of New Jersey. It isn't exactly what I'd call my dream profession, but I get to pick my own uniform and my own hours. Not to mention it usually comes through when I need some quick cash to appease my bill collectors.

Some days it's alright. I've met some pretty interesting people, and my take-downs with Lula, my friend and hooker-turned-bounty-hunter-sidekick, are usually highly entertaining. We've only injured a few of our skips, and to be fair, most of them probably deserved what they got. But this last week had me seriously pouring over the want-ads in search of new employment.

My cousin Vinnie's bail bonds office had been slow, and I only had one FTA file to work with. His name was Melvin Sanderson, and he had been arrested for robbing three convenience stores. On the third store, his beater of a car wouldn't start, and the police chased him down. Didn't seem all that bright to me, so I figured it would be an easy capture. The only problem was I was on my own. Lula had been out sick all week. If things got too crazy, there was always Ranger, but I saved that call for when the skip had big guns or was brought in on charges of rape, battery, or murder. Anything less than that, and I could pretty much hold my own…most days.

Besides, Ranger seems to only complicate things for me. In a way, he's kind of like Trenton's version of Batman. He wears all black, drives expensive, black vehicles, and I'm pretty sure he's part ninja. He also has this somewhat annoying habit of tracking my every movement, which I have to admit, has come in handy on occasion. He mostly keeps to himself and is literally a man of few words, and all of this is really no big deal except for the fact that I am horribly and irresistibly attracted to him. And we may have slept together a few times. It's like that moth to the flame business, and he always seems to know right when to turn up the heat.

All of this makes things complicated with my off-again on-again boyfriend, Joe Morelli. Morelli is a plain clothes cop with the Trenton PD who took a troubled and wild childhood and really made the most of it. He now owns a house complete with curtains, a toaster, and lovable dog, Bob, who eats _everything_. He enjoys spending time with me (mostly in the bedroom), and I'm pretty sure he might even be inclined to marry me if it weren't for my job and some major commitment issues. We're currently in some funky gray zone of the off-again on-again thing, so I haven't seen much of him lately.

I thought about giving Morelli a call to find out a little background on Sanderson, but I knew the real reason I wanted to talk to him; I was feeling kind of lonely. I decided after several minutes of debating that I could play it professional and pulled up his number on my cell phone.

"Hey, you busy?" I asked nonchalantly. "Yeah, what's up?" He sounded slightly irritated. I was hoping it was because of a case he was working and not because I was being a pain in his butt. Who was I kidding? It was obviously because of the latter.

"You know, never mind. I was just seeing if maybe you could give me a little more info on a skip, but I don't want to bother you if you're busy." Silence. "Anything else?" he asked with a sigh. "Umm, nope? Have a good day then, I guess." The phone went dead. Apparently Joe and I were in the off-again phase of our relationship. Good to know. This unfortunately equated to no weekend fun for Stephanie…

I drove to the address listed in the file for Sanderson and watched from my car across the street. Because of the previous call with Morelli, I was kind of in a huff. I gave myself a brief pep talk, threw some basics into my shoulder bag like my cuffs, hairspray can, and stun gun, and walked up to the door.

The house was older and in every level of disrepair. Apparently Mr. Sanderson was not Mr. Fixit. The yard had gone to pot, and the overhang on the porch looked like it might collapse on me at any moment. I lightly pounded on the door twice with no answer.

"Mr. Sanderson!" I called. "Anybody home?" As I was turning to walk back to my car, I heard movement from inside. "Mr. Sanderson?" I asked. "Yeah, that's me," he grumbled. He was a little scragglier and a lot dirtier than his mug shot. I did an internal grimace. "Hi, I'm Stephanie Plum. You missed your court appearance. I'm going to need to take you in to get rebonded." He scowled. "Not goin' in," he said and slammed the door. I've had worse kick back, so I knocked again.

"Mr. Sanderson, I promise it won't even take that long. Just come with me and I'll have you there and back in no time," I called. The door started to open again. Well that was easy. Finally, someone who wanted to cooperate.

Maybe if I hadn't have been in a huff about Morelli, my common sense would have told me that Mr. Sanderson was not interested in coming with me, but regardless of who was to blame, I found myself in a place I shouldn't have been. Namely a place that was within arm's reach of Sanderson. He flung open the door and shoved me with incredible force down his porch steps. "Get off my property!" he bellowed.

I tumbled down the steps, and in the process I landed funny and twisted my ankle while simultaneously slamming into a rusty, old garbage can that sliced into my back. I took in a deep breath and stood with as much dignity as I could muster. Sanderson glared at me from the doorway, so I started hobbling backwards toward my car. "You know, maybe we'll do this later," I said. I drug myself back across the street and collapsed on my driver's seat. It was time to call it a day.

I drove home in a funk. The call with Morelli had made me grumpy, but the shove from Sanderson had made me mad. This job was stupid. I didn't even know this guy, and he had just inflicted bodily harm. I'm a nice and decent person on most days. I didn't deserve that. My ankle was already starting to swell, and I was pretty sure my back was bleeding. It was time for a hot shower, and maybe afterward I'd take inventory and assess the damage.

I managed to work through some of my emotions in my steaming bathroom, and I have to admit, I was feeling a little better by the time I'd blow dried my hair. My ankle was still two sizes too big, and I had a lovely gash down the left side of my back, but I've looked much worse. It was time to do some thinking. Since this whole bounty hunter thing was currently driving me nuts, I started by looking through the want ads. Not a whole lot to choose from, but I circled a few possibilities then went to check out the fridge situation. There were a few staples on hand like peanut butter and some olives, but I really needed to go grocery shopping. No way was I going out with a sprained ankle, so instead I made a call to my mother.

"Are you coming home for dinner?" she asked laying on the guilt. I gave her a quick rundown of my situation with the whole swollen ankle, cleverly omitting the bits that included an angry skip. She was sympathetic and offered to drop by later that evening with some leftovers. Score!

We exchanged some pleasantries and some neighborhood gossip before hanging up. I looked around and sighed. The apartment would need some tidying before she dropped by, which would be no easy task with a bum leg. I frowned. Hopefully there would be a few slices of chocolate cake with the leftovers to ease the pain of a rough day.

After my mom left, I made up a plate of some leftover meat loaf and potatoes then propped my swollen ankle on some pillows on the couch and turned on the TV. There wasn't much on, and I've never really been one to sit around. That was probably another perk of being a bounty hunter. It kept me busy, and I didn't have to stay in one spot for too long unless _I_ wanted to. Having an injury was a different story.

I aimlessly flipped through channels for a half an hour before I decided to make a phone call. Lula was still sick, Morelli was being a jerk, and I wasn't quite up to getting an earful of shenanigans from Grandma Mazur. That left Ranger. Smalltalk wasn't his best talent, so I decided to invite him over.

I scrolled through my contacts list and dialed his number. "Babe," said the familiar voice on the other end. "Hey," I said. "Wanna come over?" At first it was silent. Then came the question. "And the nature of this visit would be?" I thought for a minute. "Umm…social?" Social could mean a lot of things, right? And many of those things had nothing to do with booty calls. This get-together was like seventy-five percent safe. Ok, maybe more like twenty-five percent.

I could sense that twitch of a smile on the other end. "I'm tied up here tonight, and I have a pretty full schedule tomorrow. How does tomorrow night sound?" Delightful. "Sounds great. See you then." We both hung up.

So now I had a date with Ranger. Perfect! I tried to ignore that feeling I get with all the complicated Ranger stuff. After all, I had had a really bad week. Didn't I deserve some fun? My mind started running with the "fun" idea then hit a small roadblock when I saw the key to Morelli's house on my keyring.

Maybe Ranger and I could just sit around and chat. Friends do that sort of thing, right? Only the truth was, conversations were usually short-lived with Ranger, which usually left some awkward silences that had to be filled with _something_. The problem was that Ranger usually knew exactly what he wanted to fill that something with, and all it took was _that_ look and a few passionate kisses and I'd be helpless to say no.

Then I saw it. "That's it!" I yelled excitedly into my mostly empty apartment. Rex, my pet hamster, crawled sleepily out of his soup can. I think he glared at me for interrupting his sleep, but it's kind of hard to tell with hamsters. I gave him a cracker by way of an apology anyway.

I hobbled to the bathroom and washed my face to get ready for bed. Thinking about my new brilliant plan, I smiled smugly at myself in the mirror. I had figured out a way to be just a little naughty with Ranger. At least it sounded good to me at the time. Just to make sure, I decided to sleep on it. If it still sounded good in the morning, then I was definitely going to run with it.

I called Connie at the bonds office in the morning to let her know I wasn't coming in with the bum ankle. She told me it was probably a good thing since everything was so slow right now. I wished her luck dealing with Vinnie and set to work on my plan for the evening. The swelling in my ankle was starting to go down, which made getting around a little easier. My back still hurt really badly. I figured it was probably due to some internal bruising, so I slapped on a couple clean bandages and tried my best to ignore it. Then I was ready to put my plan into action.

The plan was this: Grandma Mazur had recently returned from a trip to Atlantic City, and although she didn't return with something as nice as extra cash to share, she did return with a deck of playing cards for me. They had some nice beach scene on them (Grandma was disappointed they didn't have any with some scantily clad men…), and not really knowing what to do with them, I had tossed them on a table in my living room. Now I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. Ranger and I were going to play a few hands of poker. More specifically, strip poker. And I was going to win.

I rummaged through my closet and found several clothing items that seemed to suit my purposes. Thankfully I had done laundry at my parent's house only a few days before, so most of my clothing was clean. I decided on a thong, two bras, two pairs of underwear, a pair of boxer shorts, two tank tops, three t-shirts, a pair of skin-tight stretchy pants, a pair of jeans, and a sweatshirt. I was hedging my bets since I knew I probably wasn't the best card player. Ranger would probably only be wearing a t-shirt, some cargo pants, socks, shoes and potentially underwear, so chances were if I even won a handful of rounds, I would more than likely come out on top…no pun intended.

I carefully pulled on all my layers trying to avoid too much contact with my aching back and ankle. When I was done, I stood and took a look at myself in the mirror. I looked like an idiot. My hips looked gigantic with all the layers of underwear (and I couldn't even button my jeans over the mass). The top half didn't look much better. And on top of everything, I was starting to feel really hot. My cheeks were flushed in a bright pink bordering on red. I decided it best to take it easy and not exert any unnecessary energy, so I grabbed a quick snack and took a nap.

I still wasn't feeling up to hobbling out to my car, so I ordered in Chinese for dinner. The boxes of food showed up in record time, and I debated about waiting to eat. It was getting kind of late, so I wasn't sure if Ranger had already eaten. I decided to stick the take-out boxes in the fridge. Besides, I wasn't really feeling all that hungry. In fact, I was feeling more butterflies than anything. This strip poker game was getting me really worked up.

I was just straightening up the living room when the air pressure of the room changed. There was a single knock and Ranger walked through the door. I'd long since given up guessing how Ranger always seemed to bypass my lock system, so instead I smiled and said "Hi." He looked me over from across the room and raised an eyebrow. "Nice outfit," he said. "I seem to be a bit underdressed. Literally." He was dressed in his usual Rangeman black t-shirt and cargo pants. They hung low on his hips. He'd probably gone commando. Just as I had hoped. "Nope," I smiled. "You look perfect."

He stood in the entryway seeming to debate his next move, but eventually made his way to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out the take-out boxes. "I take it this is for us," he called holding the Chinese boxes above the door. "Yeah," I answered. "You have the steamed rice and veggies with the grilled chicken. I have…well, everything else."

It was no secret in our relationship that I wasn't the healthiest of eaters, and on special occasions Ranger would indulge in the occasional bite of cake or single onion ring, but mostly he stayed on the boring path of nutritious eating. "Do you want me to heat yours up too?" he asked. I shook my head. "I'm not really that hungry right now. Ate a big lunch. But go ahead and eat if you're hungry."

I turned the TV on and we sat on the couch in silence while Ranger finished his dinner. "So this is a social gathering?" he asked setting his plate down. "What does a social visit usually entail?" Good question.

I'd convinced myself that it was supposed to include some talking and a game, but Ranger was looking way too attractive, and I was starting to sweat. These layers were turning out to be a really bad idea. "You're cheeks are kind of flushed. Are you feeling ok?" "I feel f-f-fine," I stuttered starting to feel flustered. I needed a distraction. "Hey, wanna play a game?" I asked pulling out the deck of cards from my sweatshirt pocket. Another eyebrow raise and a hint of a smile. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"How do you feel about a few rounds of poker?" I asked as I tried to shuffle the deck. The cards got tangled with my jittery fingers and a few flew across the room. Ranger is a smart guy, and I could feel things begin to click for him when he went to pick up the cards. "Just out of curiosity, what will we be playing for?" he asked. "Clothing," I answered with a sly smile. "Sounds like my kind of game. But you better let me shuffle." I handed him the rest of the deck. Let the games begin.

Naturally, I lost the first four rounds, which isn't as disappointing as it sounds. I was starting to feel really hot and uncomfortable, so taking off the sweatshirt, a couple shirts, and my outer layer of pants was kind of a relief. It was after losing the two rounds afterward when I started feeling a little nervous.

I looked over at Ranger, eyeing him suspiciously. Ranger has an automatic poker face that shows little to no emotion all day every day. It's kind of unnerving.

"You're cheating," I said accusingly taking two cards with the deck. "You should talk," he smiled. "What do you have on? Twenty layers of clothing? I'd say you had this all planned out, but unfortunately for you, I can hold my own with cards." Oh great.

"Whatever, you're probably stacking the deck," I huffed. "Have you ever known me to be dishonest?" he asked innocently. Ranger is a mean's-to-an-end type of guy. I haven't actually known him to be dishonest ever…unless it might serve a greater purpose. Tonight, I had no doubt of Ranger's purposes. His end-game was clear.

"I need some water. Do you want anything?" I asked. "I'm fine, thanks." I got up and started hobbling to the kitchen. "Here, let me get it," he said. "I didn't realize you were hurt. When did this happen? I didn't see you check in at any of the hospitals." He grabbed a glass from a cupboard. I looked down at my ankle. "The other day I had a bit of a tussle with a skip. No big deal. My ankle is starting to feel better. Back still hurts like the dickens. I've got a pretty good scrape down my side." I did a mischievous grin. "Play your cards right, and you might even get to see it." He smiled back. "Oh, you can count on it."

I managed to get some lucky hands on the next two rounds, and Ranger lost his shirt and socks. Ranger has always been incredibly self-assured. He doesn't bat an eye with clothes on or off. So here he is shirtless, acting cool as a cucumber. Me, on the other hand, I'm about ready to hyperventilate. I secretly wonder if he lost the last two hands on purpose, just to prove he wasn't cheating, but I'm not going to say anything about it. Then I'm suddenly down to my last two articles of clothing, and I know one of two things must be true: I am either the worst poker player ever or I have just been played. I suppose it's _possible_ for both to be true. I'll have to play Morelli sometime just to be sure.

I can't tell if it's my frustration about losing the poker games, the current temperature of the apartment, or that smoldering look I'm getting from Ranger, but even without all my layers, I'm still feeling quite warm. Ranger lays down a full house and now I've lost my top. I feel exposed on every possible level, so I really just want to get the last hand over with. And just like that, the game's over: I have two pair and Ranger has a straight. "Alright," he says smugly. "I won. Pay up."

I stand and try to shimmy out of my thong, but I'm feeling really shaky. Ranger gets up, pulls me into him, and kisses me while tugging the thong over my hips, but then he pulls back suddenly. "Babe, I thought you were just blushing, but your skin is _really_ warm. Are you running a fever?" And that's all I really remember because like all my articles of clothing that evening, I'm pretty sure that's when I hit the floor.

I woke up in a strange bed and couldn't place where I was. Maybe Ranger had whisked me away to the bat cave or something. After a few minutes, things started to clear up, and I realized there were beeping machines and other electronic gizmos going. I was in a hospital bed. Ranger was sitting next to me with a concerned look on his face.

"What happened?" I asked still in a groggy haze. "I had just won our little poker game, but you took the easy way out and passed out on the couch." "Oh. Sorry about that," I mumbled. "I suppose I can overlook it considering you had a fever of 104°F." He frowned. "Seems like the scratch on your back was a little more serious than you thought. It was really enflamed, so when I brought you here they cleaned it, bandaged you up, gave you a tetanus booster, and currently have you on some pretty heavy antibiotics." "Is that all?" I asked sarcastically with a dopey grin. I saw a hint of a smile in return, but obviously the fun was over.

"I called Morelli. I figured he'd want to know that you're here." Interesting. "Thanks," I replied. "I better go," he said while getting up to leave. "No point in getting into an awkward situation." Easy for him to say. I was the one stuck in the hospital bed with Morelli on the way. "I guess I'll catch you later then," I sighed. "Until next time," he smiled as he kissed my cheek and left.

Morelli showed up twenty minutes later. "Ranger called and said you were in the hospital. Are you all right?" Just peachy. "I'm doing better than I was an hour ago," I grimaced. "I had a bit of an altercation with a skip earlier this week, and it resulted in a collision with a rusty garbage can. I was trying to tough it out, but I guess you can only do so much to combat rust and an infection." I lifted my hospital gown and showed him my bandage. "Apparently it looks pretty nasty. Jagged, pussy and infected. Probably will leave an interesting scar." Morelli frowned. "I was really worried about you. I'm glad you're feeling better." I smiled. I was glad too.

"Want me to stick around for a while?" he asked. "I could pick up a magazine from the gift shop. We could do one of those crazy quizzes to see if we're really meant to be together." He leaned a little closer and whispered in my ear, "and maybe when you're feeling a little better we could do a little compatibility test of our own." I smiled and shook my head. "You're terrible. Here I am laid up in a hospital bed with a semi-serious injury, and you're thinking about _that_." He shrugged his shoulders, winked at me, and left to go get the magazine.

I sat twiddling my thumbs for a moment then realized my deck of cards was sitting on the tray next to me. That was odd. Maybe Ranger grabbed them thinking they were poisoned or something. Stranger things had been known to happen to me, I guess.

I opened them thinking I'd give myself a little extra practice at shuffling and was surprised to find a little piece of paper tucked inside. "Babe," it said, "if you really want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask." I crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash. I chuckled to myself and did a sigh. It was definitely something to keep in mind.


	2. Chapter 2

All In

I threw my bag on the counter and went and slumped on my couch. It had been another awesome day in the life of Stephanie Plum. Of course, it would have been even more awesome if I had someone to celebrate with.

I was currently riding one of the low points on my roller coaster relationship with Trenton plainclothes cop, Joe Morelli. He and I were kind of like magnets that often were pulled in each other's direction, but if something flipped, suddenly all hell broke loose. This time it was Morelli who'd flipped, or rather flipped out.

The details are still a little hazy, but I think the irate firestorm of yelling had centered on something having to do with me being irresponsible. Or maybe it was just that my current job was a little dangerous. Which it kind of is. In fact, I may have spent a small part of my day in the trunk of a drug dealer's car. But on a positive note, I got the guy…and I wasn't even killed in the process. Naturally, this was my current cause for celebration.

I poured a glass of wine into a coffee mug and sat on the couch. "Cheers," I said raising the mug toward my pet hamster's cage. Rex and I had been roommates for quite a while, but the guy didn't even come out of his soup can to acknowledge my awesome takedown. "Some friend you are," I muttered taking a long sip.

After three more mugs of wine, I was definitely feeling the unpleasant memories of the day slip away. But, I was also starting to feel a little lonely.

"R-r-rex," I slurred tapping on his container. "I need some company. I'm all by myself out here." I smiled. That last thought gave me an awesome idea. It was time for some karaoke.

I plugged my I-pod into the speakers and flipped around until I found the song I was looking for. Eric Carmen was a genius. Reaching into my handbag, I retrieved the snickers bar that I had been saving for an emergency. What could be more of an emergency than singing karaoke to "All By Myself" without a microphone? I stood up on my couch and started belting out the lyrics.

I was just hitting my groove when I had that eerie feeling that someone was standing behind me. It was rather amazing that I even noticed considering the buzz I had going from the wine. I whipped around and nearly fell off the couch.

"Geez Louise!" I shouted. "Don't you ever kn-n-nock?" Ranger grabbed my arm to steady me. He had a huge grin on his face.

"Do I even want to know?" he asked.

"R-r-rex and I are having Naraoke Kite," I smiled.

"Ah," he said helping me sit down.

Even though he was kind of blurry, Ranger was still freakishly sexy. His chocolatey skin and silky dark hair made me realize that someone had obviously messed with the thermostat in the apartment. I got up to turn it down but forgot what I was doing mid-process.

"Where are you going?" Ranger asked. I tried to remember or at least come up with something clever, but my neuro thingies were on the fritz.

"No idea," I giggled.

"You are totally trashed," he frowned.

"Am not," I shot back stumbling back over to the couch. "Ok, maybe a little. But not s'much that I f-f-forgot about that little n-n-note."

Ranger raised a quizzical brow. "A note?"

"Yep, _your_ note. Time to pay up buddy," I said poking my finger into his chest. A while back Ranger and I had engaged in a little strip poker session, and as probably predicted, I kind of lost. Ironically I had also picked up a nasty infection from a rusty garbage can a few days before, so instead of a trip to my bedroom to enjoy my loss, I ended up with a trip to the emergency room instead.

I had organized the whole game to make Ranger lose _his_ clothes, but either due to some foul play or a severe lack of card playing skills on my part, this didn't exactly pan out. Fortunately, Ranger is pretty fair about things, so he snuck a little note in my deck of cards saying that if I wanted to see him naked, all I had to do was ask. So of course, three cups of wine later, I was _totally_ asking.

I got up and wobbled over to my handbag on the counter. I dumped the contents all over the counter and rummaged through everything haphazardly until I found the little wadded piece of paper. When I was in the hospital, I had tossed the note in the trash, but before I left, I decided to dig it back out again…just in case.

"Here," I said handing Ranger the paper wad. "Pay up." He unwrapped it and looked at me.

"Is this a gum wrapper?" he asked. Well, crap.

I grabbed it out of his hands and held it really close to my eyes. "Whoops, sorry." A few more minutes of purse content rummaging and I finally found the piece of paper. "Here it is. See? It says blah blah blah, something something, and naked."

Ranger was shaking his head and smiling. "Not tonight, babe."

I frowned. "I don't recall this note-thing having rules attached." His face was serious. Seriously sexy.

"I don't think it's a good idea. Besides, you won't remember anything." I started pulling my shirt over my head. "What are you doing?" he asked with a smirk.

"S-s-someone is getting naked tonight. I guess if it's not you, it might as well be me. Besides, it's _insanely_ hot in here." I flung my shirt across the room and started tugging at my socks.

Ranger grabbed my arm as I stood to take off my pants. "I tell you what; I have a job I need your help with. If you agree to come with me, I'll give you a rematch at poker."

"Uh-uh," I frowned shaking my head. "I'll probably lose again." Ranger pulled me into his arms until our faces were almost touching.

"Play your cards right," he said with a seductive smile. "And you might get lucky." I leaned in for the kiss, but he pulled back.

"You're no fun," I pouted.

"I'll call you in the morning," he said getting up to leave. "Have fun with your Naraoke Kite." And just like that, Ranger was gone.

"That man is so influffiating," I told Rex. "Oh, you know what I mean." I rubbed my forehead. So maybe I was a little relieved that one of us had sense enough to avoid a drunken disaster. Still, I was pretty disappointed. "G'night Rex," I called as I stumbled toward my room. I threw on some boxer shorts and a tank top, flung myself on the bed, and seriously hoped the double vision would stop by morning.

Something buzzed on my nightstand, but my eyes wouldn't open. "Mmph," I muttered into my pillow. I could already tell I had a massive hangover headache. Today I would go through my apartment and dispose of any remaining alcohol. The stuff and I just did not mix.

The buzzing started again, and then I realized it was my phone going off. "Mmm," I said into the phone.

"Sorry to wake you, babe." It was Ranger.

"And?" I groaned.

"How do you feel about helping me on a job in Vegas?" I rolled over on the bed.

"Sorry you're going to have to repeat that. I thought I heard you say something about Vegas."

"I did." Interesting.

"What exactly am I going to be helping with in Vegas?" I asked, my curiosity now piqued.

"A friend of mine needs some help taking down a guy. He was last spotted in Vegas running some shady high-stakes gaming groups. I need to infiltrate one of his secretive locations and lure him out."

"Ok, but I still don't see how any of that involves me."

"Your feminine touch might make it a little easier to persuade people to cooperate."

"You mean you want me to dress like a cheap hooker to distract people."

"I wouldn't say _cheap_."

"Ranger!" I yelled at him.

"You're getting the general idea."

On a normal day I might have turned down the offer. Going places alone with Ranger wasn't usually a good idea. Going to Vegas with Ranger would probably be a disaster. However, I really needed a vacation, and Ranger was notorious for his expensive taste. This meant we probably wouldn't be staying at a Motel 6. And I probably wouldn't have to choose between the steak and the lobster. And then there was Ranger thrown in to seal the deal.

"Ok, I'm in," I sighed. The line was quiet, but I could tell Ranger probably had his hint of a smile. "When do we leave?"

"The flight leaves in ten hours."

"Wait, you already bought me a ticket?"

"What can I say? I took a gamble that you'd probably say yes. Just getting in the right frame of mind for Vegas. I'll swing by later and pick you up. Oh, and babe," he paused. "Bring the black dress." Then the phone call ended.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and slowly sat up. Ugh! Hangovers really sucked. I guess I could deal with it for now because in less than twenty-four hours I would be on an airplane with Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome heading to the land of shameless gambling and the high-end buffet. Things were definitely looking up. Especially once I kicked this killer migraine.

Ranger swung by my apartment a little after five and we headed to the airport. I was a little fidgety on the drive because the truth is I have never been on a plane with Ranger before. Normally I would just sit and read a magazine or listen to some music, but that didn't seem appropriate. Was this like a date? Were we supposed to talk on the flight? Ranger didn't talk much period, so I was worried things were going to get awkward.

We made it through security and boarded the plane. The first-class accommodations were nice, but I could still feel my palms start to sweat. I took the seat next to Ranger and tried to keep the fidgeting to a minimum. "You look worried," Ranger said leaning over. "Is there a problem?"

"Nope, just fine. Everything's fine." I replied grabbing some of the in-flight reading materials.

"Stephanie." Uh oh. It wasn't very often he used my name.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"The aircraft information card you're reading is upside down." He took it and flipped it over in my hands.

"Ah, I was wondering how sliding into the sky would save me in case of an emergency…" I offered a weak smile. Smooth, Stephanie. Very smooth.

"Babe," Ranger said leaning back in his seat with a twitch of a smile. I hated how he was always cool as a cucumber.

We had been in the air for about an hour when Ranger pulled some papers out of his travel bag. "You can read through this if you want. It gives a rough overview of our plan and who we're looking for. Oh, and I almost forgot," he said reaching into the bag again. "I got you something." He tossed me a small wrapped package.

At first, I was worried it was jewelry, but the box seemed to be too heavy. "You really shouldn't have…" I started until I finished unwrapping the box. It was a deck of cards. "Don't worry," I said with a sly smile. I pulled another deck from my jacket pocket. "I brought my own." He leaned back in his seat with a smug look on his face.

A few hours later, we landed at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. I had managed to thumb through some of the papers Ranger had shared with me on the flight, but mostly I had been distracted by my intermittent daydreams and fantasies that involved those decks of cards and very little clothing. I needed to refocus. Work first, play later.

Ranger went and talked with someone about our rental car. Ten minutes later a sleek, black Lamborghini pulled up to the curb. "What, no Porsche?" I asked sliding into the passenger seat.

"We needed to make a quick statement about what we're here to do," he answered.

"I thought we were here to bring a guy in."

"No. As of right now we are here to spend very obscene amounts of money." He turned and looked at me and grinned. "And I've always wanted to drive one of these." He was like a kid at Christmas.

"So," I finally asked. "Where are we headed?" I could tell Ranger was still feeling amused, but he didn't smile. "The friend who called in this favor is a frequent high roller in Vegas. He got us a very exclusive suite at the Venetian. You have to be personally invited by the hotel to stay in one." Well _that_ definitely topped the Motel 6.

"We have another stop to make first though." My stomach had been rumbling since well before our flight landed, and I wasn't very interested in delaying our hotel arrival. In fact, at the moment I was mostly interested in a Vegas-style buffet with crab legs, lobster, and some delectable dessert that probably had a fancy French name.

"Can't we make that stop later?" I sighed. Ranger shook his head. "And here I thought you'd be thrilled about a shopping spree…"

" _You're_ taking me shopping in Vegas?" I asked incredulously.

"I figured other than that black dress, you probably didn't bring anything Vegas-appropriate. A few minutes in these stores and we'll have you looking like you belong here in no time." A huge grin spread across my face. It was probably a good idea to shop _before_ gorging myself on food anyway. Besides, I could last another hour or two before I withered away from starvation.

Three shopping bags and two fancy garment bags later and we were back in the Lamborghini on our way to the hotel. I was a little disappointed that Ranger hadn't exactly stuck around for the shopping. He'd set me up with a shopping consultant then disappeared to do his Ranger thing. Don't get me wrong, it was an awesome experience, but I think I could've sped up the poker game rematch if he would have seen me in my new red dress.

"Find anything fun?" he asked as we headed down the strip.

"I could do a fashion show for you later if you'd like," I answered with a devilish grin. He gave me his hint of a smile but then turned serious.

"I don't think it's a good idea. We need to stay focused on the job. This guy can be pretty dangerous. You read the paperwork on the plane, right?" I nodded but knew I would fail a quiz on any of the details. Ranger should have waited to give me that deck of cards until _after_ I read the paperwork. My mind had been too cluttered with fantasies and daydreams to retain any other information.

We pulled up to the Venetian, and a very well-dressed attendant came for the car. Ranger tossed him the keys, took my hand, and headed into the lobby. His confidence was intoxicating. If it hadn't been for the hundreds of Vegas visitors, I probably would have ripped his clothing off right then and there.

"Mr. Hernandez?" the man at the front desk asked. Ranger gave a brief head nod. "Right this way, sir."

We were led around the corner and greeted by three additional well-dressed staff members. "Brian will be on call as your personal chef. Andrew, here, is on call as your own private pianist, and Oxana will be available should you need anything spa-related. She gives one hell of a massage." He winked at Ranger. Oxana was an exotic temptress and was all legs and very large assets. I secretly hoped Ranger hadn't noticed because my assets were mediocre at best.

The receptionist dismissed the crew and led us to an elevator. I started fidgeting. This place was so classy and sophisticated, and I was starting to feel way out of my league. Ranger watched me for a moment then quietly took my hand. Maybe some of his confidence would spread through osmosis.

I gasped when the elevator doors opened. This couldn't possibly be a suite. We must have been transported somehow to a palace. Ranger opened the door.

"Holy smokes!" I gasped. The place was enormous! The furniture and fixtures made my apartment look like a cardboard box on the street. I went and flopped on the airy couch. I closed my eyes and pretended for a few moments that I was the long lost princess that had finally returned home. "Can we stay forever?" I swooned.

Ranger shook his head. "You get three nights, princess. Then I'm afraid your coach will turn back into a pumpkin." I frowned. Then I grinned.

"Nice Cinderella reference. Pick that up from the guys at Rangeman?" I asked. He paused before wandering down the hall.

"Julie may have had me watch it a few times when she was three. I might even know the names of the mice." Cute.

It wasn't long before the newness of the suite wore off and I was ready for food.

"I'm going to go hit the buffet," I called. Ranger poked his head out from a doorway.

"You did hear that we have our own personal chef, right?" I nodded.

"And you heard that we're in Vegas with buffets, right? That means all you can eat. As in _all_ you can eat. And I have been starving since the plane ride." Ranger rolled his eyes, but I could tell he was going to cave.

"Be back in an hour. We need to get moving on the high-roller scene." I grabbed my new purse and dashed back to the elevator.

Four plates later and I was a little worried that my new outfits weren't going to fit anymore. Darn that food for being so delicious! Ranger had undoubtedly been responsible with his indulgent eating and was probably looking like a Latino James Bond right about now. I was going to be lucky if I pulled off a beached whale look in a hooker costume. Life in Vegas was more challenging than it looked.

By the time I waddled back to the elevator and made it back to the suite, I was starting to feel a little less sluggish. Ranger opened the door before I even had a chance to knock. He had a weird sixth sense like that.

"You have food stains on your shirt," he sighed.

"Leftovers?" I grinned like an idiot. He pulled me through the doorway, and I couldn't tell if he was irritated or slightly amused. Either way, I knew I was going to have to pull off a night of brilliance in order to get back in his good graces.

I quickly tugged on one of my less form-fitting dresses, glossed my lips, and added an extra swipe of mascara. My hair was being its unruly self, so I teased and tugged at it until it fell in relatively soft curls over my shoulders. I slipped on my new stilettos and gave myself one last glance in the enormous full-length mirror. Yep, I was definitely ready for the big show.

Ranger met me out in the living room area. He was dressed in an all-black tuxedo that fit him like a glove. I licked my lips to make sure I wasn't drooling.

"Nice shoes," he said after giving me the once-over. That was Ranger code for something along the lines of "those would be awesome with some slinky lingerie." They pinched my toes a little and were hell to walk in, but I was beginning to like them a lot more by the minute.

We rode the elevator in silence. I was feeling butterflies everywhere. It was probably mostly related to having to keep myself under control around Ranger's super sexy alternate personality. Who was he supposed to be again? Mr. Hernandez?

"Hey," I asked. "Do I get a code name for this event?" Ranger looked over at me.

"I didn't know you wanted one." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well if you get to be Mr. Hernandez, I think I deserve some cool alternate identity. How about Lady Meringue?" Ranger raised his eyebrows. "No? Well, what would _you_ prefer then?" He thought for a moment then leaned over and whispered something in my ear. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Not to mention everywhere else.

"Too much?" he asked in a sultry tone. I gulped and nodded. "I'm kind of partial to Stephanie then."

"Stephanie's fine," I said in an octave slightly higher than normal. Man, that guy sure knew how to get me flustered!

The front desk attendant sent someone for the car, and before I knew it we were off into the wild world of flashing lights, ringing slot machines, and sexy all-night gambling. Ranger pulled the car into a secluded parking garage, and led me down a scary back alleyway. "This is like stuff straight from the movies," I whispered. Ranger shook his head and kept walking at a brisk pace.

We walked down a stairwell and Ranger knocked on the door. Two very intimidating giants stood on the other side. The glared down at Ranger, but he just stared back emotionless. Me? I was shaking in my stilettos.

"Mr. Hernandez?" one of them growled. Ranger did his head nod thing. The men stepped aside and let him in. They stepped back into guard dog formation before I had a chance to follow. "Who's the girl?" Mr. Muscles asked.

"She's cool. She's with me," Ranger said reaching back and grabbing my wrist. For some reason, I had been thinking this was all going to be a piece of cake. Ranger was going to play a few rounds of cards, I was going to stand around and look beautiful, and we were going to nab our crook. Unfortunately, this shady building with Tweedle Buff and Tweedle Scary had me rethinking just how easy everything was going to be. We would be lucky if we made it out without a good roughing up, which was a shame because the dress I was wearing cost more than my car.

I leaned in close to Ranger. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I whispered. He looked back at me and squeezed my hand. I sure hoped that meant 'yes.'

We walked down a narrow hallway to a room that was dimly lit at the end. A dirty chandelier hung in the center of the room above a large round table. There was only one person seated at it.

"Barry?" Ranger asked. The man sat in the chair with a smug expression. He wore an unbuttoned black dress shirt with gray slacks. His hair was slicked back and he had two diamond earing studs in his ears. "Mr. Breaker rarely makes an appearance. But he's intrigued by your reputation, Mr. Hernandez, so he's agreed to meet with you on one condition."

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

"We play. If you win, you meet Mr. Breaker. If I win…" he looked over my direction. "I keep the girl."

Ranger nodded without hesitation. "Agreed."

"Whoa," I interjected. "Just one second here. Would you excuse us for a moment? I need to confer with my associate." I drug Ranger back out into the dark hallway.

"Ranger," I hissed. "You had better be five hundred _thousand_ percent sure you're going to win if you are gambling with _me_." He looked serious for a moment then grinned.

"Babe, it's me. Would I let anything bad happen to you?" His confident reply only had me marginally less terrified. Alarming thoughts flashed through my mind of having to spend even a second with that creep at the table. Good thing I trusted Ranger…most of the time.

"I'll shoot you with your own gun if you lose," I growled under my breath as Ranger led me back into the room.

"Everything ok?" the man at the table asked. Ranger nodded taking a seat.

"Let's play."

To be honest, I remember very little of the card playing. It was probably because I spent most of the time on the verge of hyperventilating. Plus my twenty course dinner wasn't sitting very well. Nervous breakdowns were the worst.

Ranger and his opponent had been going back and forth for what felt like forever. Obviously both thought they held the winning hand. Finally Ranger shoved the entirety of his chips to the middle of the table.

"All in," he said straight faced. I felt my stomach drop through the floor. This was the moment of truth.

The guy laid down three kings. My legs suddenly felt like spaghetti. I was probably about to leave with this ugly card shark.

Ranger looked up and frowned. Then he laid down a straight. The man sat very solemnly on the other end of the table.

"That means you won, right?" I asked Ranger. " _Please_ tell me you won." Ranger stood up and took my hand.

"Be here tomorrow at eight," the man at the table grumbled. "Mr. Breaker will be waiting for you."

Ranger led me back down the dark hallway past the two meatheads at the door. We walked quickly back down the dimly lit alley and climbed back into the Lamborghini in the garage.

Once we were driving down the strip, Ranger let out a huge sigh. "Well that was close," he said.

I looked over at him and glared. "You mean to tell me you could have _lost?"_

He shrugged. "I think you're missing the point. I _didn't_ lose. And we have a meeting with the guy we need to bring in tomorrow night. I'd say things worked out better than expected." Ranger was always being optimistic about this stuff. I was still thinking about what could have happened if the card shark had been holding the lucky hand. I shuddered.

We made it back to the Venetian without any further discussion on the evening's events. I was still a little miffed about Ranger gambling with my wellbeing, so I decided to play the whole "cold-shoulder" thing and go get ready for bed.

I was rummaging through my bag but found no comfy pajama pants, shorts, t-shirts…anything. Great! I'd packed a bag for Vegas complete with my sexy black dress and lacy lingerie and completely forgot to pack anything sensible. This was going to be interesting. And on top of everything, I was feeling the need to indulge in Vegas food again.

I snuck back out of my room still in my dress and debated about giving our personal chef a call. Thankfully the suite was so big that I didn't notice any signs of Ranger. Maybe he'd decided to head to bed himself.

I picked up the phone and started to dial but suddenly got that familiar feeling that someone was standing behind me.

"I thought you were going to bed," Ranger said. I turned around and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. Ranger was standing in nothing but a very loosely wrapped towel. It hung dangerously low on his hips, and as usual, he was completely unbothered by any of this.

We stood just staring at each other for a while because I couldn't remember where the conversation had been going. I still had the phone in my hand, so obviously I was planning on making a call, but I couldn't remember anything beyond that so I put the phone back.

"I'm sorry, did you say something to me?" I finally asked. Ranger had his hint of a smile again, and I could tell he was enjoying the situation. I was kind of enjoying it myself because here he was practically naked and I hadn't even won any poker games.

"I just asked if you were going to bed," he said. He wandered into the kitchen and poured a glass of water. My mind was still stuck on all that exposed skin and musculature, so it took me a few more minutes to process what he'd said.

"I forgot to pack my pajama shorts," I sighed. Ranger looked over at me like I was a nut. And maybe I was. The sheets on the beds probably had half a million thread count, so it wasn't like I wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in nothing. But I wanted something to lounge in. I wanted something familiar and comfortable, and quite frankly I was really annoyed that in my current flustered mess, I didn't have it.

I flung my hands in the air in exasperation and headed back down the hall. Ranger caught up with me and grabbed my wrist. He spun me around and leaned into me.

"This isn't your bizarre way of asking me to come join you, is it?" he asked using his arms to block any escape I may have been plotting. I could feel the heat from his skin, and I involuntarily slid my fingertips down his abdominal muscles catching them for a moment on the edge of the towel.

"Want to play a round of cards?" he asked in a sultry tone. Oh, I _totally_ wanted to play cards. Except I didn't even care about the cards anymore. I wanted to skip all the way to the post-card playing activities. "Go grab the deck of cards," he whispered. Oh boy.

Too bad Ranger was serious about the card playing. After four rounds of poker, I could tell he was highly amused. He was being gracious, so I'd lost the dress, my necklace, my shoes, and my earrings and was currently down to my underwear with Ranger still sitting in his towel. "Babe," he laughed. "You are quite possibly the worst poker player I have ever seen." I glared at him. He was obviously cheating, but I still wasn't sure how he was doing it.

"And you're the sneakiest card player _I've_ ever seen. How do you win all the time? What's the trick?" He shook his head.

"It's not a trick. You're as transparent as a four-year-old. You lift your eyebrows a little when you have a good hand and your nose crinkles when you have nothing. It's adorable, but I really don't think you should be playing with anyone other than me." He slipped a finger under my bra strap and slid it off my shoulder. "Someone might take advantage of you."

"How did you win earlier then?" I asked putting the strap back up on my shoulder. "I highly doubt the card shark is as transparent as I am." Ranger stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

"A little luck and a little pride goes a long way," he answered. "The guy was full of himself, so I was pretty sure I knew when I had him." He glanced over at a clock. "It's getting late. We should probably head to bed." I was almost positive he was referring to actual sleep and not…other activities. "Are you going to survive without your shorts?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I should be fine. It's not like I'll be sleeping in wool, right?"

He pulled me off the couch and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "We can practice more tomorrow," he smiled and turned and headed down the hall.

I crawled into my bed in my underwear. It felt luxurious, but I couldn't get comfortable. I tossed and turned and readjusted my pillows a hundred times. Just when I was about to give up on sleep altogether, there was a quiet knock on my door. Ranger tossed me something in the dark and turned to leave. "Goodnight," he said softly.

I picked up the dark mass on the bed. It was one of his black Rangeman t-shirts. I tugged it over my head and held the fabric up to my nose. Ten minutes later I was sound asleep with the familiar smell of Bulgari shower gel still lingering in my mind.

The next morning I was gradually pulled from sleep by the invigorating smell of coffee. There was a fresh mug of it steaming on a coaster on my nightstand. I pulled the expensive sheets around me, took a leisurely sip, and sighed. I could really get used to living like this.

I padded barefoot out to the kitchen and realized I hadn't thought to request anything for breakfast. Another buffet meal was starting to sound like my best bet until I caught a hint of something savory wafting around. There was a tray of breakfast goodies laid out on the table.

"I wasn't sure what you'd want," Ranger said suddenly standing behind me. "So I kind of got a bunch of everything." I flung my arms around him then darted back to the tray.

"Aw," I smiled picking out a familiar chocolate-covered pastry. "You even got me a donut." I took a large bite and the cream exploded out the back dripping onto Ranger's black t-shirt. "Oops," I said with a sheepish grin.

Ranger shook his head. "I'll have the concierge add laundry to our list of services," he said as he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked still trying to clean the mess off my shirt with a napkin.

"I've got some stuff to take care of before this evening. Best not leave things to chance again. I feel like the stakes might be higher this time around." He turned toward the door.

"Hang on a sec," I said setting my donut on the table. I tugged the shirt over my head and tossed it to him. "No point in having someone come all the way up here just for that."

Ranger's expression had changed from strictly business to the big bad wolf in a matter of seconds. His eyes were dark as he started walking toward me. "And here I thought you weren't very good at games," he smiled tracing a line across the edge of my bra. He caught a glance at his watch. "I really have to go," he frowned.

"You sure?" I smiled narrowing the gap between us.

"Babe," he said as he turned and headed back out of the suite.

I spent the remainder of the morning indulging in breakfast goodies, taking a swim in the private pool, and running a hot bath in the giant Jacuzzi tub. By the afternoon I was ready for another round at the buffet. This time, I decided, I would practice a little restraint.

In the mid-afternoon I got a call from Ranger. "I got held up with some things," he said cryptically. "Have the front desk send a car for you later. We'll meet up in the garage tonight at 7:30." I wasn't really fond of this idea. Ranger was much better at dealing with these scary low-life individuals. Plus, I didn't have any of my pepper spray or stun guns. All I currently carried around with me was a Jersey attitude and a flashy smile. It was probably a recipe for disaster.

"Babe?"

"Yeah, I got it. Have a car pick me up and meet you in the garage at 7:30. I'd feel better if we met up before then."

"At this point I don't think that's going to happen. I'll let you know if anything changes." The phone went dead.

On any other occasion cryptic stuff from Ranger was pretty normal. He typically worked alone or at least tried to as much as possible. I'm pretty sure the only times he invited me to tag along were when he wanted me close by to keep me safe or if he was in desperate need of a good laugh. I was convenient entertainment.

This whole adventure in Vegas felt different. Maybe Barry the Breaker was more dangerous than he seemed. I decided it didn't matter. When Ranger had his mind set on something, he was going to get it. Poor Barry never even stood a chance.

It wasn't long before the sun was setting along the strip, and it was time for me to get dressed for the evening. I debated for a while between the new red dress and my black dress from home. One was sexy in a familiar way and the other was sexy in a fun new way. Eventually I flipped a coin and the red dress won. After messing with some make-up and teasing my hair, I left the hotel feeling like a million bucks.

The hotel car arrived early to pick me up and dropped me off near the parking garage. It was close to 7:30, so I walked around a little. It felt awkward being all gussied up with nowhere to go. 7:30 came and went with no sign of Ranger. I was starting to feel anxious.

I glanced at my phone a few minutes later and tried calling Ranger. No answer. I was just about ready to head back out to a well-lit street and hail a cab when I felt a hand slide behind my back. I shrieked.

"If you'll come with me," the familiar voice said guiding me out into the alleyway. It was the card shark from Ranger's poker game the night before. "Where's your associate this evening?" he asked with a disturbing grin. "He seems to be running a little behind schedule."

I feigned a smile. "He's probably already in the building," I said hopefully. "He likes to keep that certain element of surprise." That sounded plausible, right? Except I knew for a fact that Ranger wouldn't have left me hanging like that in the garage. If he said he was going to be there at a certain time, he was always there. The thought made my stomach lurch. Something was terribly wrong.

"Well maybe we can find some fun activities to keep us occupied until he shows up," the card shark said giving me a slow body scan. If I thought there wasn't the possibility of someone popping out from the shadows and murdering me, I would have punched him in the nose and ran for it. But something made me feel like we weren't alone. I decided it best for the time being to keep my emotions in check.

We made it back to the stairwell, but there weren't any bodyguards stationed at the entrance. "Are your guard dogs off duty for the evening?" I asked.

"They're working another job this evening," he sneered. "I don't think we'll need them, do you?" The way he said that last statement made my blood turn cold. Were they sent to deal with Ranger? Of course, they weren't even remotely a threat, but if they somehow managed to catch him off guard… The thought wasn't sitting well with me.

"This way, my dear," the card shark said escorting me down the dark hallway. The man I assumed was Barry the Breaker was sitting under the ugly chandelier.

"Good evening, Miss Plum," he said offering me a seat. Uh oh. As far as I knew, we hadn't been using real names on this mission. The fact that Barry knew my real name was very unsettling. I sat down in the chair and felt my body start to tremble. I was in way over my head here and Ranger was nowhere to be found. Instead of allowing myself to give into the fear I was feeling, I decided to mask it. It was time to pretend to be cool as a cucumber. "Pretend to be Ranger," I told myself.

"Where's Mr. Manoso this evening?" Barry asked with a smile that assured me he was well aware of the answer. "I'm not very fond of people skipping out on personal invitations to my sanctuary."

"I hate to tell you this pal," I started. "But this isn't much of a sanctuary. I'm kind of partial to the suites at the Venetian. This place is a dump." I was a little shocked at my boldness. The statement was either going to go over like a joke or a very bad insult.

"Mmm," Barry grinned. "A girl with some taste. I like it." He winked over at the card shark.

"Well gentlemen," I said getting up from the chair with as much confidence as I could muster. "I'm afraid my associate seems to be MIA this evening, so if you'll excuse me, I have some high end gambling to get back to."

The card shark came and forced me back into the chair. "I'm sorry to say this, Miss Plum, but you won't be going anywhere." I was afraid of that. I was also afraid of the way both men were eyeing me. They both looked like starving lions, and here I sat looking like a helpless, stupid gazelle. Things were not going well. I needed a plan. Then like magic, it came to me.

"Alright, gentleman. Here's how it's going down. Since you're depriving me of some serious gambling time, we'll play for my release." This got an interested smile from Barry. "I just have one condition," I smiled.

"Name it," Barry said.

"I get to choose the card game." The men looked at each other like lions circling in for the kill.

"What kind of host would I be if I didn't let my guest choose the game?" he asked innocently. "What'll it be? Black Jack? Texas HoldEm? Five Card Draw?"

"War," I said with a serious expression.

"As in the 'War' that we played as kids?" Barry asked confused.

"That would be the one," I smiled. "You aren't scared are you?"

Barry adjusted his shirt. "Not in the slightest. We'll have my associate here deal to make sure everything is fair." I nodded, but I knew this man probably never played by the rules. What he didn't know is that I wasn't going to play by them either.

"Best of three rounds?" I asked.

"Sounds fair," Barry smiled, and with that the War games commenced.

The good news is that War is mostly a game of chance, so I didn't have to rely on a poker face to get me through it. All I needed were some tricky fingers and little distraction. Lucky for me, I had some mediocre assets and a red dress that were helping in the distraction department.

I cleverly pulled winning cards near the top of my deck without drawing to much attention to myself. Fortunately this resulted in a first-round win. Had Ranger been present, I think he would have been a little proud.

Barry shifted a little uncomfortably across from me. "Well played, Miss Plum," he said as we entered into the second round. I think the card shark was feeling a little suspicious of my previous win, so he started paying closer attention to my hands and less attention to my chest. This made it more difficult to sneak in some winning cards. Therefore, I lost the second round.

"That's one win apiece," Barry stated. "Last round, Miss Plum. Winner takes all." I was almost feeling ready for it. Actually, I was feeling more like this whole thing was like ripping off a Band-Aid. Win or lose, the best thing was just to get it over with.

The new hand was dealt, and I sat biting my fingernails. With each card I flipped, I felt my heart skip a beat. I was a terrible gambler, and here I had the audacity to gamble with my own life. It was pretty stupid, and I was starting to worry. After all, I had just lost another ace.

My pile of cards was growing thin, and I was worried I was about to blackout from fear. "Hang in there," I kept telling myself. "Just keep pretending to be Ranger."

I was down to three cards. One was high. One was ok, and the last one was a three. I was screwed.

"Shall we call it a game, Miss Plum," Barry asked licking his lips.

"Nope," I said, my voice shaking a little. "I always play 'til the end. You never know what might happen."

"As you wish," he smiled. And that's when all hell broke loose.

Four giants in black stormed into the dimly lit room, guns pointing directly at my captors. Nobody seemed particularly surprised, but Barry had an expression that seemed a little amused. I heaved a huge sigh of relief recognizing the black Rangeman uniforms.

"Are you alright Stephanie?" a familiar voice asked. It was Tank.

"I am now," I smiled. "Thanks for showing up. Right on time as usual." Tank smiled.

"There's a car waiting for you in the garage," he said. "Ranger's already back at the hotel."

"Why didn't he come with you guys?" I asked a little worried.

"He had to take care of some things. Apparently Barry the Breaker had his goons tracking Ranger today. He gave me a call once he figured it out. Said some backup might be useful. Which it was because they somehow managed to wrestle him into an industrial-grade refrigerator, which wasn't a great idea. Ranger got really pissed, and the guys were kind of stupid. When they went to check on him, he ambushed them. He's got a nice shiner, but the other guys look _much_ worse." I figured. For whatever reason, stupid people were always underestimating Ranger and his wrath.

"You got everything taken care of here?" I asked before heading down the hallway.

"Yep. We'll see you back in Jersey. Have fun," Tank winked at me. I always wondered how much Ranger confided in Tank about us. Maybe I'd have to get him drunk sometime and find out.

Once I was in the car in the garage, I let out another huge sigh of relief. Tonight had been a little too dangerous for my taste. There would be no more Vegas adventures like this for Stephanie Plum.

I somehow made it back the Venetian and numbly crawled through the door of the suite. Adrenaline rushes like tonight's sure took it out of a girl. I collapsed on the couch, and before I knew it, I was out like a light.

I was still on the couch when I woke up the next morning, but my shoes were off, and there was a blanket draped over me. Ranger was watching me sleep from a chair across the room.

"Like old times," I mumbled. Ranger had been sneaking into my apartment bedroom for quite a while. Between his stealth and ninja skills, he often appeared without me noticing right away. It was kind of creepy now that I thought about it. "Do you always have to watch me sleep?" I asked.

"Nothing better to do," he smiled. My eyes focused a little more, and I noticed the black eye Tank had mentioned.

"That's quite the beauty statement," I said while sitting up.

"Mmm…" he frowned. "Meathead Number One had a quick right hook. It took me by surprise. He didn't look capable of any kind of speed." I nodded. I had a feeling the meatheads were probably going to be even slower for a while.

"Tank said you had quite the evening," Ranger added as I stretched and fell back into the couch. He had a smirk on his face. "War?"

"Well _someone_ told me I was worthless at poker, so I thought I'd pick a game that evened the odds a bit." I paused. "I even cheated a little."

"Babe."

"Yep. It was entirely necessary. I didn't exactly have backup."

"Sorry about that. I got a little detained, and my phone didn't work in the refrigerator. Go figure." He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, all's well that ends well, right?"

"Are you kidding?" I asked sitting up and throwing my hands in the air. "You still owe me a rematch at poker. That's the whole reason I agreed to this crazy vacation in the first place." Ranger was suddenly wearing his wolfish grin again.

"We're not going to play War instead, are we?" he asked.

"No, I've had enough of War. Hang on a minute. I need to go get something." I disappeared back into my room and found what I was looking for.

"You're not putting on twenty layers of clothing again are you?" Ranger called from the living room.

"Nope," I said returning and taking a seat at the table. "Care to join me?"

Ranger came and sat across from me. "Just regular poker, right?"

"Yep," I smiled taking out my deck of cards. "And don't worry. I've already shuffled the deck." Ranger eyed me suspiciously but didn't protest. I think he secretly wanted to lose.

I dealt the cards. "This is for everything," I said. "The loser has to bare all." Ok, so I stacked the deck. And I may have dealt myself a royal flush…in hearts, no less. But I'll be darned if I wasn't going to win one single round of poker during my stay in Vegas.

Ranger looked at his cards and looked up at me. "Ok," he said. "I'm all in."

I tossed my cards on the table.

"Nice hand, babe," Ranger said as he started to pull off his shirt. I smiled to myself. This was going to be one very memorable trip to Vegas.


End file.
